The air crackled as a hulking figure clad in animal hides strode into the room. Xiao Ba, leader of the hunting squad and father to Xiao Teng, radiated an oppressive aura that silenced the crowd. His gaze swept over Xiao Ye like a blade.
"You two think you're above village affairs?" Xiao Ba sneered, his voice thunderous. "Those three Body Refining Pills belong to the village—not to your pride."
Xiao Teng smirked behind his father. With the village chief in seclusion, his family held the power. The pills were as good as his.
Villagers exchanged uneasy glances. Though sympathetic to Xiao Yang's plight, none dared oppose Xiao Ba's iron rule. Murmurs of agreement rippled through the room.
"Xiao Teng, at sixteen, has reached the eighth tier of Body Refining. The pills are rightfully his!" Xiao Ba declared, silencing dissent with a glare.
Xiao Ye's fists trembled. Hypocrites. Xiao Teng's "talent" was built on medicinal spoils, while he'd clawed his way up through sheer will. Yet the village bowed to this farce.
"Blind fools!" Xiao Dashan roared, stepping forward. "Can't you see who the real genius is? Xiao Ye has—"
"—has nothing to do with this," Xiao Ba cut in coldly. His eyes flicked to Xiao Yang. "The irrelevant should leave."
Xiao Yang's shoulders slumped. Once a pillar of the village, he now shuffled toward the door, a ghost of his former self.
"Wait."
Xiao Ye's voice froze the room. He stepped forward, spine straight as a spear. "If this is your 'justice,' I'll tear it down myself."
He pointed at Xiao Teng. "I challenge you. Here. Now."
Laughter erupted. "Ten moves," Xiao Ba scoffed. "If you beat him in ten, the pills are yours."
"Ten?" Xiao Ye's lips curled. "One will suffice."
Xiao Teng charged with a roar, fist surging like a tiger's strike.
"Begone."
A single punch.
Bones cracked. Xiao Teng flew across the room, crumpling against the wall. Silence swallowed the crowd.
"Xiao Ye… has broken through to the Ninth Tier of Body Refining," Xiao Dashan announced, relish dripping from every word.
Gasps tore through the air. Fourteen years old. A record-shattering feat. Xiao Teng's pharmacy-fed "talent" paled to dust.
"Still think this 'justice' holds?" Xiao Ye's gaze swept the shamed faces. Villagers who'd backed Xiao Ba now avoided his eyes.
Xiao Ba's face purpled. His aura flared—seventh-tier Houtian Realm power boiling—until Xiao Yang's icy voice cut through:
"Lay a finger on him, and the village will bury you."
The threat hung like a guillotine. A ninth-tier Body Refining youth was a treasure no clan would sacrifice.
Forced to kneel, Xiao Ba hurled the pill box at Xiao Ye's feet.
The boy didn't blink. "Keep your charity. I'll carve my path without her pity."
He turned, leaving the precious pills in the dirt. A slap to Xiao Ba's pride—a declaration that Xiao Ye's pride couldn't be bought.
As the door slammed, Xiao Ba trembled with rage. His son's defeat was absolute. The village's eyes had opened.
And somewhere in the shadows, a father's weathered face finally smiled.